The fiscal cliff debacle has been pretty rough on him. On one side, he's got to face election results and all the leverage the Democrats really need to strike a balanced, center-left deficit reduction deal for the next decade. On the other, he's got to own up to the House GOP who want nothing to do with any compromise with Obama.

He's done his darnedest over the past month, constantly negotiating with Obama behind the scenes while blasting him for everything under the sun in the open, in a futile attempt to circle the square.

But as his negotiations with Obama neared resolution, he took it to his caucus in the House and they absolutely, honestly refused to deal in the way Boehner presented it.

Which led us to Plan B, i.e. Boehner's hail mary. It's one somewhat of a compromise (millionaire tax), which still doesn't even come within the ballpark of his co-negotiator's revenue goals, and to get his Republican colleagues on board for something as detestable as taxing millionaires, he threw in every Republican Christmas ornament one could ask for, from shredding Obamacare to defunding Meals on Wheels.

Even with all these ornaments, the millionaire tax still couldn't pass the House GOP.

That's it. It's over. Boehner has no ability to bring his caucus around on anything. To pass any fiscal cliff deal, he will have to rely on substantial Democratic support.

After the ass-whip Reid and Pelosi took in 2010 and they are still leaders of their respective areas, htf can you bring up Boehner?

This is as much about Boehner's seeming inability to understand, much less control, his caucus as it is about bad election results. Getting his Plan B out there in such a public way only to get punched in the face by his own caucus shows that he can't even seem to find the body, much less the pulse, of his folks. That's a serious problem for him.

The question now is whether he's too damaged to effectively serve as Speaker anymore.

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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington

It's the fairy tale and lie the media is creating. When everybody's taxes go through the roof, it's all Boehner's fault.

FTR Boehner is a POS and the republican party are clowns, but Obama is the real villain here. Of course, he's dear leader, immortal beloved so we can't speak the truth when it comes o the affirmative action messiah.

This is as much about Boehner's seeming inability to understand, much less control, his caucus as it is about bad election results. Getting his Plan B out there in such a public way only to get punched in the face by his own caucus shows that he can't even seem to find the body, much less the pulse, of his folks. That's a serious problem for him.

The question now is whether he's too damaged to effectively serve as Speaker anymore.

People were calling for Boehner to be removed as speaker shortly after the election. The republicans have serious problems, but the Democrats are doing their damdest to get the U.S. to the level of a socialist state. If the "Rich" Democrats feel so compelled to back Obama and Reid with the taxes why don't they volunteer 50% of their gain to taxes and relieve the taxes of the poor? I haven't seen any Democrat jumping up and saying "I have enough and don't need any more."

How do people get inspired to start a small business if they do the math and find it won't be profitable or sustainable? Right now it's hard enough to sustain a business, how much harder will it be if you start one and have to adhere to Obamacare and additional taxes because your intake might exceed $250,000?

I think its hysterical that anyone would believe there is any integrity to this dog and pony show. No one is trying to avert any fiscal cliff. This shit has been years in the making and it's by design.

Any "deal" that gets made is just another deal to kick the can down the road, and thats why we are in this mess in the first place.

The fiscal cliff has already happened. Some of you just don't understand gravity, but you will.